I’ll admit it. I really don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never really grown a moustache before. We’re talking sustained growth. (I’ve had a vacation ‘stache a couple of times, but it was more beard) But I’m going to go for it. I’ve signed up for Movember. And if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.
But how do you do it? How do you grow the perfect Moustache?
I decided to turn to a man who sported one of the greatest moustaches in hockey history. Dennis Maruk. One of only 20 men to score at least 60 goals in a single NHL season, Maruk is also one of the game’s all time ‘stache greats. If you want to grow a ‘stache, this is the guy to ask.
“You just gotta let it grow. Let it go and let it grow,” are Maruk’s first words of advice to this mustache novice.
Maruk of course did his damage in the NHL while sporting one of the best Fu Manchus of all time. I’m not going to go with fu. I’m not quite man enough, but if you’re thinking about it. Here’s his advice.
“I would say just let it grow … I always start with goatee right, and then once the goatee is grown in then I shave the middle part to have the fu Manchu.”
Of course when it comes to grooming, perfection is key.
“Some people shave too close and make it thinner. Leave the goatee so you’re shaving not too much on your cheek and on your neck. Underneath you have to make sure you’ve got a nice shaven part.”
Keep in mind though; this is much easier said than done. Not everyone can score 60 goals in a single NHL season. And not everyone can just let a beard rip. Maruk was a natural goal scorer. He’s a natural moustache grower as well. The man has a gift, that when it comes to growing a ‘stache, I can only dream of.
“I’ve gotta shave twice a day. If I shave in the morning and I’ve gotta go out for dinner …. then I gotta shave again. I got lucky I guess,” he says.
But I’m not so lucky. I don’t have the ability to grow a handle bar. I’m no Maruk, never will be. Dennis, I’m a novice. I can’t grow a fu. What do I do?
“The first step to growing one is you have to be able to have hair on your face,” says a sympathetic Maruk. Good, I have that step down. But now what? Maruk advises me to go with a simpler style.
“Go with The Selleck, but just leave it. Just let it go, especially with a mustache you can’t do anything to it.”
A Selleck. The Magnum. I can do that. Just let it go, don’t do anything. I can do that. I have to give Maruk credit. He seems like a players’ coach. His advice is simple and he seems to believe in me.
The next step from Maruk; be patient. Let things flow naturally. Don’t force the growth. This is a marathon. Not a sprint. After all I have a full month. “If I recall it can take a few days,” Maruk said.
So there it is. Great advice from a man who had one of the greatest moustaches in NHL history. To summarize: You should have the ability to grow facial hair. You should leave it alone. You should be patient.
Easy enough. Away we go. Dennis by the way is growing his ‘stache back for Movember. He says he should have an account set up shortly. He will destroy my feeble attempt at a moustache, there is no doubt about it.
You can follow my progress or lack thereof on Connected. If you want to spare a few dimes you can look me up at http://mobro.co/sportsnetkenreid and if you have any grooming advice please tweet me at @SNKenReid.